New York’s AMC Kips Bay Theater Closes on Jan. 3; CEO Says ‘AMC Wants to Stay’ but NYU Langone ‘Wants Us Gone’
AMC Kips Bay 15, a popular 15-screen cinema in Manhattan, is due to close on 3 January after its landlord ended the lease as NYU Langone seeks to expand its nearby medical facilities. AMC chief executive Adam Aron says the cinema wants to remain and that the closure would end a much-valued local venue with a 27-year history.
Aron says AMC proposed several ways to keep a cinema in the building, including making it smaller or expanding the existing low-rise site, but NYU Langone did not accept them. The building’s Fairway supermarket and bank are also expected to close. AMC says Kips Bay was among its ten most-attended US cinemas on several days last summer; residents will be able to see upcoming films there before it shuts.
In short
- AMC Kips Bay 15 is set to close on 3 January.
- NYU Langone plans to expand its medical facilities nearby.
- AMC says it offered options to keep a cinema in the building.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Keeping the cinema would preserve a long-standing neighbourhood venue that draws local audiences and offers a shared place for entertainment. AMC says it proposed smaller or expanded-site options, so supporters could argue that these deserved serious consideration before a popular cinema and other local businesses were displaced.
The case against
NYU Langone may reasonably prioritise expanding nearby medical facilities, which can serve important community health needs. As landlord, it may also judge that the site’s future use and redevelopment outweigh the value of retaining a cinema, particularly if the proposed alternatives do not meet its requirements.
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